Oscar Pareja’s “next man up” philosophy, forced on the Rapids last season because of injury, will carry over to 2014 out of preference.

Colorado on Thursday took veteran left side defender Marc Burch from the Seattle Sounders in the first round of the MLS re-entry draft. Burch, an eight-year MLS veteran, arrives after two seasons in Seattle.

But in an interview at Rapids practice on Tuesday, he also talked about replacing injured players, a complaint from Martin Rivero, how the younger players have stepped up, the team’s salary cap space and his expectations for this season:

Q. How has the season gone so far from your point of view?

What’s bugging me is the injury issue. It is what it is.

To a certain degree, you plan for it during your roster development during the offseason. What you don’t expect are the high number of long-term injuries — and then for them to all hit at the same time.

The Colorado Rapids last week traded Andre Akpan to the New York Red Bulls for an MLS conditional draft pick in 2015. The move was sudden, but not exactly surprising.

Akpan played just 7 minutes in one game for the Rapids this season and seemed out of favor with coach Oscar Pareja after the arrival of rookie Deshorn Brown, veteran Edson Buddle and the traded-for Danny Mwanga.

This installment of Rapids player ratings come courtesy of Craig de Aragon, a longtime Rapids fan, committee member with the Class VI supporters group and current Rapids correspondent on the “Around The League” show on the Champions Soccer Radio Network:

There is something so quaint and whimsical about the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. With the makeshift playing fields, the one-camera webstream broadcast, and its junior varsity-level commentary, all that was missing was the sepia filter.

The Rapids were not in the daydreaming spirit, though, as things quickly turned from bad to nightmarish for the second-division Tampa Bay Rowdies as 33 minutes in they were already down 2 goals. Two late tallies, one for each side, and the Rapids were on to the 4th round, which MLS clubs have found hard to achieve in this upset-filled version of the U.S. Open Cup.

Andre Akpan started against Montreal on Saturday. And he was one of three Rapids forwards to travel to Tampa Bay.

The U.S. Open Cup is a difficult juggle for MLS sides, the Rapids included. How much effort should be employed in games against second-division North American Soccer League teams? Fans though (many of them) love the tournament — it’s the oldest still-alive stateside soccer tournament, dating back to 1914. History propels it.

Tampa Bay Rowdies coach Ricky Hill also likely is pushed by the historic nature of the tournament. As a standout for Luton Town in 1985 (a then-top division team in England), Hill scored a goal against Everton in the semifinals of England’s FA Cup that is still remembered among Hatters fans today:

Jaime Castrillon celebrates his game-winning goal in the 83rd minute against the Montreal Impact.

This installment of Rapids player ratings brought to you by Andrew Villegas, a Colorado-native journalist based in Washington, D.C., who also writes for the blog The Yanks Are Coming Find Andrew on Twitter @ReporterAndrew.

There’s an old adage in soccer: Sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way. But on a windy night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the ball bounced just the Rapids’ way — a couple times in fact, thanks to the high winds — right off the crossbar and onto the head of Jaime Castrillon, who put away the game winner against Montreal in the 83rd minute.

Already without starting forwards Conor Casey (who missed the game due to a hamstring injury he picked up in last week’s draw against Sporting KC), and Omar Cummings (who is still nursing an ankle sprain), the Rapids’ front line looked thin and at times struggled to engage each other in positive play.

But goals from Jeff Larentowicz, on a penalty, and headers from Drew Moor and Castrillon gave the Rapids an unlikely 3-2 victory. It came in the wake of centerback Tyrone Marshall’s red card in the 61st minute after getting a deserved second yellow card, putting the home team down a man against expansion side the Montreal Impact.

For a team with several fill-ins at forward, midfield and in defense, the Rapids have something positive to build on going into their three week break, pausing now for the European championships and U.S. Open Cup. The Rapids don’t play an MLS game again until they travel to Vancouver for a game on June 16.

Nine games into the season and Oscar Pareja's Rapids lineup is still not settled because of injuries.

This week’s Rapids player-ratings come care of Kevin Villegas, a Denver native who has been following the Rapids since their inaugural season, plays midfield himself and works as a producer for a local advertising agency.

It’s often said that possession is everything in soccer. But as last night’s game between the Colorado Rapids and New England Revolution proves, the numbers that really matter at the end of the day are on the scoreboard.

In the imposed parity of Major League Soccer, no team goes on the road insisting that a point is good enough. But for a mid-week game on turf on the other side of the country, the Rapids might have had just that in mind.

What started with good possession ended with chances unfulfilled, led by bad finishing and a lack of a final pass. Add some tired legs into the equation, and it’s no wonder the Revs took all three.

There’s not much you can say about Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy. It was pretty typical considering how their last two games had gone, though they were finally able to break that frustrating goalless streak. Of course, one of those goals went into the wrong net but beggars can’t be choosers.

The game was sprinkled with great moments from Colorado’s players but lots of trademark mistakes as well, which poisoned the better moments. It made it hard to rate some of the players, specifically Matt Pickens, Marvell Wynne and Omar Cummings — all three had their shining moments as the game went along but also put in a howler along the way that handed the game to Los Angeles.

This week’s Rapids player-ratings come care of Kevin Villegas, a Denver native who has been following the Rapids since their inaugural season, plays midfield himself and works as a producer for a local advertising agency.

Every time a Rapids player went to ground, fans of Seattle Sounders FC waited with bated breath.

Brian Mullan’s first trip to Seattle since breaking the leg of Sounders forward Steve Zakuani in April of 2011 on a hard slide tackle didn’t quite end the way the Rapids hoped. To be sure, the Rapids looked dangerous at times but never quite threatened the goal.

The Sounders really only had three opportunities to score, but a header scored on a set piece by Zach Scott proved decisive as the Sounders took down the boys in burgundy 1-0 in front of a crowd of 38,000-plus in Seattle. The Rapids now have nine points on six games on the season.

The game started physically and ended chippy, with four players picking up yellows. A neutral observer couldn’t help but think these teams don’t particularly like each other.

When it comes down to style of play, the Rapids continue to endure growing pains in the installation of their 4-3-3. They play better, and look more comfortable, when they play the way Manager Oscar Pareja wants them to –- technically, with possession and with short passes along the ground.

The Sounders were better in possession, better technically and better on the scoreboard, where it really counts. And for once, the Rapids can’t blame the outcome of this game on Baldoermo Toledo, the referee.

Daniel was first introduced to soccer at age 6 while living in Düsseldorf, West Germany. He played youth soccer in West Germany until age 9, and then in Seattle, where he is originally from. He works as the day breaking news editor and also contributes on the Rapids beat.